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GERMAN DATA PROTECTION authorities have blocked Facebook from collecting subscriber data from its subsidiary WhatsApp, citing privacy concerns.
Facebook and WhatsApp promised in the wake of the Silicon Valley giant’s 2014 acquisition of the messaging app that they would not share data, Hamburg’s Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information Johannes Caspar said in a statement today.
He added that Facebook would be required to delete any data already received from WhatsApp in Germany.
“It has to be (the users’) decision whether they want to connect their account with Facebook,” Caspar said.
Facebook has to ask for their permission in advance.
WhatsApp announced in August that it would begin sharing data with Facebook, in a bid to allow better targeted advertising and to fight spam on the platform.
Currently, users of the instant messenger must opt out of sending information to Facebook through WhatsApp’s settings on their smartphone.
Co-operate
Caspar said that he had acted to protect the privacy of 35 million WhatsApp users in Germany – a fraction of some one billion worldwide – and that of people saved in their address books, whose details might also be forwarded under the data-sharing arrangement.
Facebook’s activities in German-speaking regions are managed through its subsidiary in Hamburg, placing the firm under the jurisdiction of the regulator in the northern port city.
In a response, Facebook said it was ready to co-operate with the German authorities.
“Facebook complies with EU data protection law,” a spokeswoman for the company told AFP.
We are open to working with the Hamburg DPA [Data Protection Commissioner] in an effort to address their questions and resolve any concerns.
WhatsApp’s announcement that it would share information with Facebook came just four months after the service introduced end-to-end encryption by default, saying that the content of messages would become unreadable for anyone except the sender and receiver.
In mid-September, the European Commission recommended tighter privacy and security requirements for services including WhatsApp and Microsoft-owned video calling service Skype, saying they should be regulated more like traditional telecoms.
Subjecting the internet firms to such rules could force them to offer emergency calling services and to obey stricter privacy rules.
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We need to do the same
Why?
I think Facebook should link people with their WhatsApp contacts and give them relevant friend suggestions instead of strangers. I’ve almost never seen anyone I know when Facebook says ‘you may know these people’.
If you don’t want Facebook sharing your aggregated data with WhatsApp then you should stop using one of them.
every country should follow their lead.
Can’t stand FB or the Pr!ck in the picture.
Don’t use it. Problem solved.
@Peter.: Which picture the one beside your name or Mark?
Trouble is, you sometimes need FB to log in to other apps including the Journal even if you don’t want it.
Good. Hopefully the rest if the E.U follows suit
It’s great to see action like this being taken. It’s scary how much info Facebook takes from your phone. If you a YouTube a documentary called facebookistan you will see the extent of how much data they take on you. The only other advice I can give is to just download an add blocker. Believe me it’s like using the internet with a breath of fresh air.
Our Data Commission is sending a strongly worded letter as we speak:
“Pretty please Mark. Would you mind deleting those Whatsapp numbers? Thanks. And thanks for all the jobs. I hope me sending you this is not going to upset your week or your view of Ireland Inc.
Sincerely
Ireland Inc ‘Data Commissioner’
xoxoxxox”
They already were sharing data id get pop ups do you know so and so after texting them on WhatsApp
Damn right too.
Bah Hamburg, eh Facebook.
I lied about myself on whatsapp anyway and I’m only going to get worse, its over..
Delete the FB Application from your phone and just use a weblink to it instead. This results in
1. More privacy.
2. No need for separate Messenger Application.
3. No targeted Ads.
4. Better battery.
As I recall when I opened my Whatsapp account following this change my consent was sought and i refused it. Facebook are not seeking the content of your messages which are encrypted. They are seeking information so that advertisements can be targeted at you. As long as a company is clear about what data it is seeking to use, the purpose of that use and that your private information is not being shared I fail to see what the real problem is here. Both Facebook and Whatsapp are free services by and large. They make their money from advertisements in the main. Certainly there needs to be effective oversight so that private data is not shared or used inappropriately but when you use free services what do you expect? They have to be paid for. If you don’t like them then don’t use them.
@John R:
WhatsApp is not a free application. It’s free for the first year and regularly billed for after that.
Only if you are using Apple platforms John. Free to use on Android operators and always has been (since I began using WhatsApp in 2012 I’ve never paid a cent)
@Conor O’Rourke: Never paid anything for WhatsApp either
Jason I have never paid a cent for Whatsapp. I am an iOS user.
11.02 pm
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